College
career

Parker was a guard for the Ohio
State UniversityBuckeyes from 1954 to 1956, playing
on both the offensive and defensive lines. Parker was known for his
size, strength and quickness, and these talents, used for clearing
a path for running backs, helped demonstrate the feasibility of head coachWoody Hayes'
three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense -- an offensive philosophy
that had been questioned as suitable for big-time college football.
Due in part to Parker, Hayes won his first national championship in
1954.

NFL
career

Parker was selected by the Baltimore Colts in
the first round of the 1957 NFL draft, and the eighth player selected
overall. The Colts, with quarterbackJohnny Unitas, relied on a passing
offense very different from the running offense of Ohio State.
Nevertheless, Parker soon came to be known as the premier pass
blocker in the game.

From 1957 until 1962, Parker played as an offensive
tackle. He was selected to five Pro Bowl teams in those six years. In 1963
Parker moved to the offensive guard
position, as a favor to his college coach Woody Hayes, to make room for another
former Buckeye, Bob
Vogel. Parker was selected to three more Pro Bowls from the
guard position.

Many consider Parker to be the greatest lineman to ever play pro
football. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
1973, his first year of eligibility. He was the first full-time
offensive lineman so inducted. In 1994, Parker was selected to the
NFL
75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999, he was ranked number
24 on The Sporting News' list of the 100
Greatest Football Players, second among guards behind John Hannah, and third
among offensive linemen behind Hannah and Anthony Munoz, both
of whom began their careers well after Parker retired.

College career

Parker was a guard for the Ohio State UniversityBuckeyes from 1954 to 1956, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines. Parker was known for his size, strength and quickness, and these talents, used for clearing a path for running backs, helped demonstrate the feasibility of head coachWoody Hayes' three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense -- an offensive philosophy that had been questioned as suitable for big-time college football. Due in part to Parker, Hayes won his first national championship in 1954.

NFL career

Parker was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the first round of the 1957 NFL draft, and the eighth player selected overall. The Colts, with quarterbackJohnny Unitas, relied on a passing offense very different from the running offense of Ohio State. Nevertheless, Parker soon came to be known as the premier pass blocker in the game.

From 1957 until 1962, Parker played as an offensive tackle. He was selected to five Pro Bowl teams in those six years. In 1963 Parker moved to the offensive guard position, as a favor to his college coach Woody Hayes, to make room for another former Buckeye, Bob Vogel. Parker was selected to three more Pro Bowls from the guard position.

Many consider Parker to be the greatest lineman to ever play pro football. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973, his first year of eligibility. He was the first full-time offensive lineman so inducted. In 1994, Parker was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999, he was ranked number 24 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, second among guards behind John Hannah, and third among offensive linemen behind Hannah and Anthony Munoz, both of whom began their careers well after Parker retired.